MINNEAPOLIS — Trying to remain relevant in the playoff picture got impossibly harder for the Minnesota Twins on Sunday as they’re without their two best players.Once again, a team that’s been thin on experienced talent since February is facing another round of adversity after Byron Buxton was placed on the injured list before a 5-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.After seeing minimal, if any, improvement in his sore right hip, Buxton was placed on the 10-day IL. The Twins still hold out hope Buxton can return this season, but for now, a club clinging to a shred of hope in the American League wild-card race must proceed forward without Buxton and a rehabbing Joe Ryan, who is scheduled to make a start for AAA St. Paul on Tuesday.To stay in the chase, the Twins desperately need collective performances such as Sunday’s when Zebby Matthews provided a dominant start and the lineup pieced together enough offense to avoid a sweep at the hands of Chicago. In his latest gem, Matthews was perfect into the sixth inning and allowed one run over 8 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and no walks.“We’ll never feel down on ourselves or feel like we’re out of it,” Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “A month is a long time. A lot can happen. We understand we’ve got another two-week stretch here of really, really important games. We’re not going to fret and just keep working.”Luke Keaschall, who homered, singled and walked Sunday, is one of several young Twins who have made big gains during the season (Nick Wosika / Imagn Images)The positive message filtering out of the clubhouse has been the same all year. Twins players have banded together and chosen a glass-is-half-full view all season.The reality is, the Twins have been undermanned most of the season. Before things got going, they lost one of their top performers, Pablo López. Then they started the season with the seventh-lowest payroll in baseball, and manager Derek Shelton was tasked with constructing a bullpen during the season after everyone was traded in July 2025.As they played catch-up, the Twins did a good job adding depth at the trade deadline. But to remain relevant all season, as team chairman Tom Pohlad suggested they would, not only did Buxton and Ryan have to star and stay on the field, but also the club was always going to need big performances from a young position core.Luke Keaschall, who homered, singled and walked Sunday, and Brooks Lee have made big gains. The Twins went 5-0 this month in games started by Matthews. Though he slowed down this month, Jeffers has delivered, too.With Buxton out and Ryan’s return uncertain, the Twins need even more from their young core. Though rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper and center fielder Walker Jenkins, who made his debut Friday, have plenty of talent, it’s a big ask late in the season.Still, Twins players continue to hope despite the grim reality waiting right around the corner.“We got guys in this clubhouse that can get hot,” said veteran Josh Bell, who had two two-out RBI singles. “Buck can score from first base on anything, so it’s definitely different. We will definitely have to find ways to manufacture the runs. … It would be great to have (Buxton) with a .900 OPS. But it seems like our additions, we have that spark, a little bit of youth, a bit of speed.”Shelton, who, along with athletic trainer Nick Paparesta, was presented a gold card for 25 years in the majors Sunday, used the postgame ceremony to briefly address his players.He recognizes his team is only 9-17 in August and that it trails Chicago by 7 1/2 games, but he pushed the idea the team’s rough stretch is over and there’s still time to get going.“The level of belief in that room has never wavered,” Shelton said. “I’m focused on us. We need to continue to play good baseball. If we play good baseball, we’ll see how the chips fall from there, but I think it’s more on us than it is anybody else.”Here are several more thoughts after a frustrating weekend against Chicago.• Ryan, who is on the IL with a mild left glute strain, is excited about the progress he’s made as he heads to Nebraska for the first time. On Tuesday, Ryan is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A St. Paul in Omaha after receiving the all-clear after a brief bullpen session Sunday morning.On the 15-day IL retroactive to Aug. 6, Ryan’s been in good spirits since he pitched live batting practice Wednesday.“Facing hitters was the biggest one, right?” Ryan told reporters. “I haven’t done that in a second, and then I haven’t really done that feeling like I have control over my body and not compensating for a couple, a little bit longer than that. So good to just get out there and feel a little bit more free.”• Buxton’s lingering hip issue isn’t only a source of frustration; it could require an offseason surgical procedure. After Buxton hinted Wednesday he would eventually work with Twins trainers to devise an offseason plan for his hip, general manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters Friday surgery is possible.“(It’s) definitely a potential option as we sort through everything,” Zoll said. “It would be some type of hip procedure, but not at that point right now. … (We) just need to see how these symptoms progress over this next stretch, and then we’ll continue to assess options.”Shelton said Sunday morning Buxton didn’t progress enough over the weekend to avoid an IL stint and it’s a source of frustration for the three-time All-Star.“We can’t just magically snap our fingers and all of a sudden it’s the Jetsons and he’s healthy,” Shelton said. “If he could, it would be a lot cooler that way … in terms of it just automatically getting better. We just need to give it time.”• Where would the Twins be without Matthews? The club is 6-1 in his last seven starts, a span in which he’s posted a 3.21 ERA with 35 strikeouts and only 11 walks over 42 innings. More importantly, Matthews has yielded only four homers in those seven starts after allowing 15 in his first 70 innings this season.“He was really impressive,” Shelton said. “He kept them off balance. He was efficient. He set the tone. Much-needed victory for us because we’ve been in a tough stretch. … It was a statement piece.”• Jenkins didn’t play a big part in Sunday’s victory as his lone contribution was a nice catch in deep center field. But similar to Culpepper’s first 3 1/2 weeks, Shelton thought Jenkins looked at ease during the weekend.“There’s definitely more to come,” Shelton said. “He’s super athletic, and I think we’re just going to see him continue to check off boxes, much like Kaelen did coming to the big leagues. … The game has not looked fast for him, and I think that’s really important in the early going.”